1 Then Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the LORD;
in the LORD my horn is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance.

2 “There is no one holy like the LORD;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.

3 “Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the LORD is a God who knows,
and by him deeds are weighed.

4 “The bows of the warriors are broken,
but those who stumbled are armed with strength.

5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
but those who were hungry hunger no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
but she who has had many sons pines away.

6 “The LORD brings death and makes alive;
he brings down to the grave and raises up.

7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.

8 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor.
“For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s;
upon them he has set the world.

9 He will guard the feet of his saints,
but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.
“It is not by strength that one prevails;

10 those who oppose the LORD will be shattered.
He will thunder against them from heaven;
the LORD will judge the ends of the earth.
“He will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

I have been reading and listening to Brennan Manning, who is a very humble God-follower. Brennan’s life is a rare example of humility and deep understanding of the love of God for us. I am amazed at his humility.

Hannah’s prayer is a great example of humility before the Lord. It spoke to me of my increasing arrogance and course nature and reminded me that I need to get on my face before God and honor Him at all times and love those He puts in my life.

The rest of the chapter is a somber reminder of what can happen when we’re disobedient (not humble). The actions of Eli’s sons affected not only them, but their father, and their entire family line from then on.

After an extended hiatus, I’m jumping back into dBrag (daily Bible reading accountability group) with a few of my close friends. It’s amazing how easy it is for me to get out of the habit of reading God’s word every day. That tells a lot about myself, huh? The only way I can stay consistent in God’s word is if I know others are counting on me to do it. Oh well, the hope is that doing this long enough it becomes a part of my daily routine.

Don’t get me wrong! I LOVE reading God’s word. When I actually sit down and do it, I find it very rewarding and enjoyable. But it seems like the sitting down to do it is the hard part.

Anyway, we decided to jump back in with Hebrews, 1 John through 3 John, then Jude. Much of which I’ve already written about. Then we decided to take a trip through 1 Samuel (one of my favorite OT books).

Follow along if you dare…

1 Samuel 1 –

I found it interesting how God’s word tells more about some people’s birth than others.

We are told of the events leading up to the birth of only a few men in the Bible, Samuel being one. Not exactly sure why in this case. Perhaps because we need an example of answered prayer. Hannah prayed and asked to have a son, even though she was barren. God answered her prayers. Perhaps her spoken request to Eli, the priest, had something to do with it?

The encouragement for me today is to not be afraid to ask God in prayer.

Well – as you can see it has been a while since I posted anything here. Have you ever gone through a time when you felt as though you were all alone, even when you were surrounded by people? I’ve just been going through a few weeks of simple existence. Going day to day, in some kind of good flow, enjoying the ride, but feeling very alone.

It’s not like I’m in some unfamiliar town, or everyone I know has been avoiding me or something. On the contrary. It has been a very “normal” few weeks. I’ve been spending time with my kids, performing in the shows, going to church, praying alot. As a matter of fact, it has been a really good few weeks overall.

The one thing missing is my reading of the Word every day. I’ve actually been reading a great book by Bob Kauflin called “Worship Matters.” If you don’t know Bob, you might be familiar with the musical group Glad. He’s the lead singer. Turns out, he’s much more than that. He’s a great teacher and writer on the subject of worship. I encourage you to read it. I’ve been reading a chapter or so every day.

But – it’s not God’s word.

I’ve also been reading Worship Leader magazine. Great articles and resources for worship leaders.

Maybe that’s the source of me feeling so alone. As an off-the-chart extrovert, being alone is one of the most difficult things I deal with. So, I’ve filled my past few weeks with good things, good people, good times. Yet – something’s missing. I sort of feel like at any moment things could go flying apart again. I prayed this morning for help in understanding exactly what’s going on – why I feel like everything is about to let go.

So – as I sat here this morning feeling pretty guilty as I read all the daily emails from my friends who are keeping up with daily Bible reading. I opened an email I’ve had for a few days from a friend at work. I didn’t have any idea what it contained. As a matter of fact, I have been avoiding it because I get SO many emails from well-meaning friends and family members that just don’t do anything for me. But, I clicked it…

It’s a portion of a message given by Louie Giglio that contains an amazing revelation of a human cell called Laminin. You just have to watch the video because Louie does such a great job communicating.

It really spoke to me this morning. Here’s the scripture Louie cited from Colossians chapter one:

16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

We were created by Him and for His good pleasure. It’s interesting how even though I have not been faithful in reading the Bible every day, He still reached me. After watching Louie’s short clip, I could almost feel His arms come around me and pull me back to his side. This is how He chose to answer my prayer today – to make me realize that He IS.

God has made His intentions very clear. He made us to enjoy us. He will not force us to love Him, but that’s His desire. He does not want us to feel alone. He has done SO MUCH to make evident how much He wants to have an intimate relationship with everyone of us. Today, I understand a little bit more how He has imprinted Himself in us all.

Well – I believe the group is starting back in Psalms 122 today. I should read that now…